Of Keys, Boxes, and Radishes
by T.B. Cummings
Summary: "You never interfere with other people or planets...unless there are children crying." "Yes." When Eleven meets a 17 year-old Dawn Summers in a graveyard, he meets yet another mystery. One who shouldn't exist. Who turns his all ready complicated life on its ear. Ah, must be a Saturday then.


Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

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**Of Keys, Boxes, and Radishes**

**Chapter One - Meeting The Madman**

She wondered, distantly as if she were a stranger observing her own body, what she must look like. A tall brunette teenager who was sitting against a marble headstone. It was early afternoon and the Sun was blithely beating down as if mocking her mood. The joys of the SoCal summer.

Dawn Summers had come to Shady Acres Cemetery every single day for the last two weeks as the dead seemed to be better company for the living these days. Her life had become fairly routine, a welcome change after the last two years. Wake up, complete chores, head to one of the various stores she had shoplifted from in order to pay back what they wouldn't accept her returning, and then come here before heading to Rovello Drive.

Today, she was sitting, jean-clad legs folded indian-style, at the graveside of Tara McClay. She tilts her back, seeing the stones placed atop the cool marble and feels her heart clench as her eyes slowly start to water.

_Tara, _the older woman who along with Willow had essentially become her second set of parents. And though Joyce Summers had been a bright woman with a core of steel, Hank Summers had been a waste of a father. In the childhood the monks had fashioned for her, she had been Daddy's little princess even more than Buffy and in the wake of their divorce and moving to Sunnydale had treated her Mom like the villain. While her mind knew that had never really happened and that she had never actually met Hank Summers in person, she still felt immense guilt for how she had acted in her memories.

Even before the rest of the Scoobies had accepted Tara as one of their own, Dawn had immediately gravitated towards the shy blond. Beneath the stutter and the shyness, lay the same strength she recognized in her mom and sister. That she had seen flashes of in Cordelia before the former socialite had left for Los Angeles. Tara was _good._When all the other adults around her had had various shades of darkness in them, Tara had been the purest of them all which was a small part of her had howled in rage when she came into that room to find the woman, with a hole in her chest and blood on her shirt, crumbled like a puppet that had had its strings cut.

She had waited with Tara's body, long after her tears had run dry as she knew that trying to get an ambulance in Sunnydale after sunset was not going to happen. An hour later Xander came in and lifted Tara bridal style while Anya had wiped her face as they drove her to the hospital where Buffy was just waking up after being shot.

Dawn reached her backpack and pulled out an old leather-bound book and settled in to read. Having spent two years in the Magic Box and around Tara and Anya, she had picked up enough snippets of dead languages such as Latin and Sumerian that she could reliably translate them. Junior Watcher to the rescue. This particular tome told the story of a man who fell out of the sky in a blue box to deal with a demonic sorcerer before disappearing again.

In the month since Willow tried to end the world, she had largely been left on her own though she was now mature enough to realize that every member of her family was trying to pick up their lives with varying success.

Buffy was slowly but surely becoming the woman she had been before her death and botched resurrection. Slowly reconnecting with human life that she had equated to Hell for the past year. She figured her sister was still in class, having just restarted at UCSD in an attempt to be able to better provide for herself and Dawn, even teaching a self-defense class to bring in extra money.

Xander was seemingly doing fantastic, with a promotion to foreman of his crew and working hard on a new set of apartments that he was trying to protect against vampires. She knew he had loaded the sprinkler system with holy water and crosses buried in the foundations.

Giles had left with Willow to Devon, though he kept in contact with them through daily phone calls. He had a long talk with Anya about the fate of the Magic Box who had decided not to reopen for the time as she intended to travel on what should have been her honeymoon. Though not before she had taught Dawn some defensive magic in the form of a shield and a basic fireball spell.

She had only had one real conversation with Willow before the night before the redhead had left.

_They had all been sitting in the Summers' living room when Willow entered the room and asked to speak to her alone. Buffy had given Dawn a nod as if granting permission when the teenager stood and followed the grieving woman onto the back patio. _

_Knowing an apology was coming, Dawn looked at the redhead. This woman who she still considered the smartest non-Giles person she had ever met. Who had helped her through years of tutoring in math which never failed to make her want to rip her hair out. Who truly was the closest thing she had ever had to a father-esque figure. Who had just days before attempted to bring about the end of the world. There was even a streak of black in her hair, a reminder of what her power was capable of and a warning to be careful. _

_She saw not the wrathful demigoddess who had locked her and Buffy into that pit. Nor did she see the junkie she had been in that car with. She saw, for the first time since Tara and Willow had began arguing about Willow's magic abuse, the woman who had become her guardian in those months after Buffy died. As she looked into Willow's green eyes that had been red-rimmed nonstop, she flung her arms around the witch, taking her off guard. _

_"I love you and I forgive you but I need you to listen to me because if you don't, Most Powerful Wiccan or not, I will beat your ass up and down the west coast." The words were spoken calmly as if the speaker was not a sixteen year-old human girl, mystical origins or not. She knew Willow had taken on gods but she needed to be heard now. "I love Tara, not _loved_ but love. I have lost my mom, my father is so far out of the picture that it stuns me, Spike's completely MIA after what he did which I still need to wrap my head around, I lost Tara, and for a long while I lost you and Buffy. I am just now starting to get Buffy back but you are not OK. Grieve, see what this Coven Giles told us about has to teach you and then you bring your ass home. I refuse to lose more of my family because they are being an idiot." _

_Willow Rosenberg had faced down Glory, had taken on Buffy Summers in a fist fight, been held at knife point by Faith, and grown up with Cordelia Chase. She knew, down to her very marrow, that Dawn was deadly serious. "When did you become the most adult of all of us?" _

_Dawn let out an inelegant snort, "I am both the youngest person around and the oldest. Even more than Anya, even if I can't remember more than the last 2 or 16 depending on how you count them. It was bound to start showing some time."_

_"I don't know if this is my home anymore. So many bad memories..." _

_"I spent the last year feeling sorrow for myself for getting my sister killed while I stood on top of that goddamn tower, bleeding as she took a swan dive into the portal. I am here because this stupid but hurting kid had a wonderful family who taught her better than that. I grew up around Mom, Buffy, you, Tara, Xander, Cordelia, Anya, and Giles. I don't how not to fight." _

_As Willow thought about it, she wondered at the amount of influence the Scooby Gang had unwittingly had on a then 10 year-old Dawn Summers and compared her to the young woman a few months away from her 17th birthday. The same age they had been when Buffy moved to Sunnydale and introduced her and Xander to the real world. In that moment, she felt a rush of pride and affection for the younger woman as she returned her hug._

_The two had stayed outside for at least 20 minutes and as Dawn returned inside, Buffy took her place while giving her friend a small smile. "That seemed to go well." _

_"She seems like she's grown up without us noticing." And unknowingly echoing the words Spike would have spoken a few months later in an alternate timeline, " When she did become scary?" _

_"I could hear your conversation and with that group of people for role models it was bound to happen eventually." _

_"True. I almost want to start a small argument with her just to see her be a kid again but I have to accept that she's not the same person. Not really. God, I miss it." _

_Willow reached out and entwined her fingers with the blonde's who gave her a small squeeze in return as they turned to watch the teen in question sit beside Giles on the couch and steal a book from him earning a sputter and soft glare from the Brit only for her to turn to the side and rest her head against his shoulder and settle in beside him to read. They saw Giles' lips twitch in a fond smile as he straightened his glasses, listening as Dawn chattered away with Anya and Xander. _

_Buffy's smile widened into a full grin before she looked at one of her two best friends. "She was right you know. This is your home and if you don't come back on your own, I'll send Dawn after you." _

_"You, Slayer, are evil." _

_"White hats are so last year," The two women laughed as old friends began to heal the damage that had been to their relationship. _

Willow had left out of LAX the next day with Giles, heart much lighter than it would have been in the original timeline. Not that she would ever know that.

Looking down at her watch, Dawn knew she needed to get home before sunset so she completed the last part of her daily ritual. She looked hard at the engraving on the grave marker. It was simple, and utterly failed to encompass all that the compassionate woman had been.

"Well Tara, I have a few more weeks until school starts and apparently they're rebuilding Sunnydale High. Cannot stress how much I'm not looking forward to that after all the stories the others have told me. Willow and Giles are coming home next week with Anya making it back last weekend. I still have two more weeks at The Gap before I've completely paid off that leather jacket but then I'm in the clear. I've been thinking more about what I want to do after high school and beyond fighting the good fight, I'm not really sure. Giles thinks that with training, I could become a Watcher but that's a ways off. I love you, tell Mom I love her too and that I hope you two are enjoying your time up there or wherever you are."

"I'm sure she loves you very much." The voice startled her but Dawn refrained from drawing the weapon she had hidden in her bag. She turned to see a fairly young man, probably only a few years older than Buffy with wide eyes and flyaway brown hair. He was thin, wearing brown slacks and a jacket with a shirt, bow tie, and suspenders. His voice was faintly similar to Giles so she pegged him as another Brit.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you it was rude not to sneak up on people?"

"Oh hundreds of times but I don't sneak. I just move quietly behind a girl. Alone. In a cemetery. Hmm, this does seem to have gotten away from me. Anyway, I can't help noticing that this town seems _wrong _and well, I heard crying. Couldn't help myself." He seemed to frown as a wave of remembered pain crossed his face before it was gone.

"It's a graveyard. People crying shouldn't be that out of place."

His eyes bore into her own with a stare that was so **kind** and so **old **she felt her eyes water.

"True but I see a child, even one near adulthood, crying and my curiosity kicks in. It seems to get me into a spot of trouble now and then though."

"Who are you?"

He seemed to brighten, an almost childlike joy possessing his features. "Ah, terribly rude of me. I'm the Doctor, just the Doctor. And you are?"

Dawn was beginning to wondering if this man was escaped mental patient but figured it was safe enough to play along for now. "Hello Doctor, just the Doctor. I'm Dawn Summers. You're not quite right are you?"

"Splendid to meet you Dawn, wonderful name by the way! And you're not quite right yourself. You are not fully human, it's like you keep flickering between a girl and this mass of green energy."

This time Dawn did pull out her weapon, a combat knife that she had been given by Xander along with lessons on how to use it well. "Who and what are you? Really?"

The Doctor backed away slowly, holding his hands out to the side to show he was unarmed. "I am The Doctor as for what I am, well that's complicated. Much as I expect you would answer that same question."

She took several steps back, putting about 3 more yards between the two of them. She didn't know how strong or fast this thing that looked like a human was and knew getting close to a demon could very easily mean death. "No one should be able to see what you apparently can. And as weird as you're acting, you're not acting like you are insane just very odd."

He looked at her, with his hands still out, and smiled as if it were Christmas. Ah so there's some sort of distortion field that keeps people from seeing the green. Don't right know why you would want to, it's a very pretty color. Not as pretty as blue but...well, nothing is." He said this with a small smirk as if telling a joke that only he understood but Dawn was decidedly not in a joking mood.

"You still haven't answered my question. Keep not answering and we'll see how you deal with a fireball to the crotch."

"Ah OK, no need to get nasty now. I am what's called a Time Lord, well the Time Lord if I wanted to be precise which I rarely do. Like to leave a bit to the imagination as it were."

"And what is a Time Lord?"

"Well they were a race of people from a planet called Gallifrey. They all died, twice, and now I'm the last."

"Planet? Are you telling me you're some type of alien? Why do you look human then?"

He laughed, that same inside joke expression blooming, "I don't look human. You lot look Time Lord, we came first. Now how is it that you seem to have Vortex energy swirling inside you. Do you mind if I scan you?"

Dawn was now wondering if this was all a taco and peanut butter-fueled daydream, "If I see any signs of a probe or tentacle, I'm going to be _upset."_

"I'm sorry, a what? What kind of aliens have you met that...oh never mind. No no just my sonic screwdriver." He pulled out a metallic object that was shaped vaguely like a pen. "No muss, no fuss."

He walked to her slowly, making no sudden movements until he was about two feet in front of her, moving so that the blade was resting against his chest he held up the screwdriver and ran it alongside her. It made a pitched whine before beeping and he looked on its side where she assumed its readings would appear.

"That's not right. It can't seem to decide on your species or your age. Unknown/Human and your age is even stranger. It switches between 2, 17, and Unknown. You, Dawn Summers, are a mystery."

The teenager let out a small sigh of relief that this Doctor couldn't tell exactly what she was. Despite having known her origins for about 18 months, she was no closer to being fully comfortable with it. Might never be.

"You're the cat in this sitch, Doctor. I have no interest in your curiosity."

"That's all right but if I may ask why does this entire town seem...well, dead. Not just this cemetery but the whole place. Something here is pouring out psychic energy of a malevolent nature that I can actually feel a headache coming on."

"Hellmouth, big portal to Hell or a Hell dimension. Not sure which just know that it'd be uberbad if it ever opened."

The Doctor stared at her for a moment, "I'm sorry. Dimension? As in parallel dimensions? But that's impossible, the worlds were closed off. Have been since the Earth was moved back into place. What date is this?"

"Sure, I know of a Hell dimension in LA that my sister got trapped in years ago and another where Sunnydale was overrun by vampires. And it's July 3, 2002."

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Eleven was running through all this information in his head. Hell Dimension? How was it even possible when Davros hadn't started his plan yet. Unless it was a Fixed Point in which case, it had and hadn't all ready happened and...wibbly wobbly Doctor, move on. This Dawn Summers was an interesting one; both old and young, both human and not. Another girl that didn't make sense.

A memory of a little redheaded girl, a kitchen, and custard flashed through his mind though he repressed it. Guilt and grief hit him like a physical ache. Focus Doctor. He wanted to continue asking Dawn questions but this Hellmouth sounded...well ominous was understating things a bit.

He nodded as the bare bones of a plan formed. Step one, return to TARDIS. Step two, insure this Hellmouth had nothing to do with the Daleks or the Pandorica. Step three, well step three was a work in progress.

Returning the screwdriver to his jacket pocket, he held his hand out to Dawn. "Well pleasure to meet you Dawn, if you could point me to this Hellmouth then that would be lovely."

The girl raised one eyebrow in an expression that reminded him of another redhead he had known before she scoffed. "If you think I'm going to tell a supposed alien where the Hellmouth is, you are out of your mind. I've lived in Sunnydale too long not to learn to expect some tricks."

And Eleven's stomach dropped when he heard that name. He had been busy in May 2003 with he had been trying to stop the Good Times with Anji and Fix on an alternate Earth but he had noticed that an entire town in California had disappeared into a sinkhole. He had been distracted so had assumed it had been natural but now, he wasn't so sure. There was another reason Sunnydale was familiar to him but he didn't think the Universe hated him that much.

"Question Dawn, do you by any chance know a woman known as Aud. Former Viking? Absolutely no concept of tact? Hates bunnies?"

"If you mean Anya, yes. Why?"

Oh.

The Doctor looked up into the sky and sighed, the Universe it seemed had decided his life needed a bit of drama. Greedy thing it could be.

"Well then could you tell me how to find her then?"

"Are you two friends?"

"More like acquaintances. Associates. She might have a small, microscopic really, grudge against me. Long story involving a cave and a rabbit. Complete accident."

Dawn stared at him as he babbled, actually blushing a bit as he looked away from her.

"Sure, if you try anything Anya will eviscerate you and that's if Xander doesn't get to you first."

So he had a psychic portal to a Hell, a girl who made less sense which always seemed to be his luck though hopefully she wouldn't want to kiss him. That could be awkward.

And messy.

Especially if River showed up.

And he was heading to see Anyanka, who was somehow still alive when he had last seen her in 13th century Scotland.

As he followed the teenager out the graveyard, he knew this was going to lead to trouble. He wondered why his TARDIS had dropped him at this point but figured he would find out soon enough. Under his breath he muttered, "Geronimo."

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So that's the first part of OBKR, this chapter is more a prologue as most chapters will probably clock in between 8-12,000. This story has not been edited and as it has been over 5 years since I wrote anything it is likely more than a little rough.

This story was born after re-watching the episodes The Beast Below (Doctor Who) and Potential (BtVS) in close succession. This will be a full crossover between the two franchises and at least two more though those aren't relevant until later. As a fan of Dawn, I often wondered what would happen if she showed her character development from Season 7 a tad bit earlier and continued past that. Thus, the Eleventh Doctor barged his way into the story.

Timeline-wise this is shortly after Angels Take Manhattan but before the events of The Snowmen while simultaneously beginning between Seasons 6 and 7 of BtVS.

**Next Chapter: Sunnydale Soujorn**


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